I clearly remember Molly asking me if I wanted to go through with the bicycle tour of Angkor Wat in light of the email from Markus Tigges (President of Khmer for Khmer Organization) warning us of the non-relenting floods. “What else are we going to do that day??” was my response.

Taking a photo break along the moat of Angkor Wat, showing off the photo id I was issued for the day. (Photo by Molly)

Needless to say the day was anything but boring. It took a while for the tour to get started in light of some “technical” issues: Molly’s bike had 2 flats and a broken chain. We were well on our way before I hit the next issue, namely a full body dip into a flooded Cambodia rice paddy with my camera strapped to me instead of being inside the bag. The rest of the day was quite the adventure bicycling about 40 kilometers through mud, waist-high water, monsoon rains and some amazing ancient structures.

Here we are at the end of the day with our guide, Steffen, waiting for our ride back into town while we hide in Angkor Wat from the relentless rain. (Photo by Molly)

As you might expect the camera did not survive the trip to Cambodia, but the tour was definitely worth the effort and sacrifice. The photos that would have been captured would have told an amazing story, but it was not meant to be. Instead we saw and experienced world heritage site in a unique way while contributing a donation for a good cause. It was a different way to celebrate my birthday, but in the end worthwhile.